Viral Infections in Gynecological Diseases

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 2068

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplantation, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
2. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Anatomical Pathology, University Hospital of Modena—Polyclinic, Modena, Italy
Interests: pathology oncology gynecology; human papilloma virus (HPV); epstein–barr virus (EBV); human herpes virus 8 (HHV8); coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS); middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS); nipah virus ebola virus
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Venereal infections are sexually transmitted infections that are spread through sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, and can result in gynecological diseases. Among these, we distinguish obstetrics-based infections, i.e., those related to pregnancy, and gyn-oncology-based infections, which affect the health of non-pregnant women; in both circumstances, viral infections play a major role. The most important viruses responsible for gynecological diseases are herpes viruses (herpes simplex, varicella zoster, and cytomegalovirus), rubella virus, hepatitis viruses, parvovirus B19, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and human papilloma virus (HPV). The latter is a well-known oncovirus that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), causes more than 95% of cervical cancers worldwide, while HIV is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which remains a global pandemic today. The aforementioned herpes viruses and rubella virus belong to the TORCH (toxoplasmosis, other agents, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex) complex, of which Zika virus is considered the most recent member. The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss all of the viral infections that result in gynecological diseases, including both those in utero that directly impact pregnancy by inducing feto-placental suffering, chorioamnionitis, stillbirth, and miscarriage, and those that trigger malignant cancer of the female reproductive tract.

Prof. Dr. Luca Roncati
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • herpes viruses
  • rubella virus
  • hepatitis viruses
  • parvovirus B19
  • HIV
  • HPV
  • Zika virus
  • placenta
  • gynecology
  • cancer

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 2389 KiB  
Article
Chemical Peeling Therapy Using Phenol for the Cervico-Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia
by Toshiyuki Maehama, Sumire Shimada, Jinichi Sakamoto, Takeo Shibata, Satoko Fujita, Masahiro Takakura, Hiroaki Takagi and Toshiyuki Sasagawa
Viruses 2023, 15(11), 2219; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15112219 - 7 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1387
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to validate the use of liquid phenol-based chemical peeling therapy for cervical and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN and VaIN, respectively), with the goal of circumventing obstetric complications associated with surgical treatment and to determine the factors associated with treatment [...] Read more.
Objective: This study aimed to validate the use of liquid phenol-based chemical peeling therapy for cervical and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN and VaIN, respectively), with the goal of circumventing obstetric complications associated with surgical treatment and to determine the factors associated with treatment resistance. Methods: A total of 483 eligible women diagnosed with CIN, VaIN, or both, participated in this study. Participants underwent phenol-based chemical peeling therapy every 4 weeks until disease clearance. Disease clearance was determined by negative Pap tests for four consecutive weeks or by colposcopy. HPV genotyping was conducted at the onset of the study and after disease clearance in select cases. Our preliminary analysis compared the recurrence and persistence rates between 294 individuals who received phenol-based chemical peeling therapy and 189 untreated patients. Results: At 2 years following diagnosis, persistent disease was observed in 18%, 60%, and 88% of untreated patients with CIN1–3, respectively, and <2% of patients with CIN who received phenol-based chemical peeling therapy. Among 483 participants, 10 immune-suppressed patients required multiple treatments to achieve disease clearance, and 7 were diagnosed with cervical cancer. Of the 466 participants, except those with cancer or immune suppression, the number of treatment sessions until CIN/VaIN clearance ranged from 2 to 42 (average: 9.2 sessions). In total, 43 participants (9.2%) underwent surgical treatment. Six patients (1.3%) experienced recurrence of CIN2 or worse, suggesting that treatment failed in 46 patients (9.9%). No obstetrical complications were noted among the 98 pregnancies following this therapy. Factors associated with resistance to this therapy include immune suppression, ages 35–39 years, higher-grade lesions, and multiple HPV-type infections. Conclusions: Phenol-based therapy is safe and effective for CINs and VaINs. Women aged < 35 years and with persistent CIN1 or CIN2 with a single HPV-type infection are suitable candidates for phenol-based chemical peeling therapy. However, this therapy requires multiple lengthy sessions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Infections in Gynecological Diseases)
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